Dayton Karaoke Idol - Season 2 - FINAL Qualifier

Name: Dayton Karaoke Idol - Season 2 - FINAL Qualifier
Start: 2026-01-20T19:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-01-20T23:00:00-05:00
Location: Oregon Express

Schedule

Tue Jan 20 2026 at 07:00 pm to 11:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

Oregon Express | Dayton, OH

Round 9 is all wrapped up and we’re moving right along with round 10 locked in and ready to go! Congrats to our round 9 winners and qualifiers for the semis - Pat (1st place)a newcomer blowing the doors off, and Solomon qualifying for the semis! Congrats to Victor on 3rd place and earning free contest admission for the rest of the year! Onto the next one!
Round 10 of Dayton Karaoke Idol season 2 is upon us and will be underway in a month! We’re bringing our competition to back to one of the classics, and our Tuesday home - Oregon Express! Mark your calendars for Tuesday, January 20 from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm and bring your best song/performance! Reminder that round 10 will be FREE ADMISSION! Just show up and do your thing!
Before we get into this years guidelines, we had to scale back some of the changes I had wanted to implement this year. Turns out I underestimated the cost increase of all of them and we’re still a small business - I’m still learning as I go so bear with us! If this thing keeps growing and getting the great turnouts, we’ll be able to make it bigger and better each year we decide to do it! That being said, we’re still bringing some new elements into this year and we think you’re going to love them!
Onto the rules and guidelines - anything new this year will be highlighted at the bottom.
The contest (and every subsequent round thru the year) will operate as a normal karaoke night as to still include non-contest singers. Those of you who want to enter the contest will sign up with us (MUST be signed up by the announced start time each round or you will not be allowed to participate) at a cost of $10 per entry (paid cash/venmo/paypal) if you sign up in advance, or $15 if you show up at start time and don’t pay in advance. **FREE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE CONTEST!**
***Here’s the main thing I want to make clear - I have a lot of regulars and I truly care about all of you. It’s important to know that I will have nothing to do with any outcome of this contest. Now that we’ve got that out of the way.***
1) Every round will be based on judges scoring with criteria given by team limelight. (Hint - it will be scored heavily -but not solely- on vocals and stage presence.
2) Only limelight staff will know who the judges are and they will change each month.
3) If you are not the winner for that current month, you are encouraged and welcome to re-enter each month. If you finish in the top 3 spots, you will not have to pay the entry fee for the rest of the years’ contests if you decide to re-enter. So even if you don’t win, your score still matters!
4) Each month, the venue will change to another one of Limelights karaoke show locations and will be announced after the current round is scored and finished.
5) Etiquette (big one here). This is going to be a tough, but friendly competition. If you can’t or don’t play nice, you’re gone. I’m looking for the same supportive and positive vibes you all bring to my weekly shows, with a layer of competition for one night per month.
NEW ADDITIONS/CHANGES:
1) Prizes and winners - Each month we will take the TWO contestants with the highest scores. The highest score will take home $200 and a spot in the semi-final battle round and second place will earn a semi-final spot but will not take home any cash unless they win the grand prize.
2) This format will essentially give us a top 20 instead of a top 10 after all the regular rounds are competed. Once we have our top 20, we will be holding a semi-final “battle round” which we will discuss more in detail as the contest goes on.
3) This entire contest will be hosted by myself and DJ Q this year and we will be playing a little bit more of a role this season! Each of us will have the ability to put ONE singer of our choice straight into the FINAL ROUND at any point throughout the 10 rounds of initial competition - sort of a “golden ticket” concept. After the battle round is over, we also will each have the option to “save” one person. The end result could end up in a top 11 or a maximum of top 12 in the final round to compete for the grand prize!
4) In addition to these changes, Q and I will also be adding the element of commentary and some friendly feedback on the mics for contestants that compel us to do so. This may or may not sway the judges and we feel will add a layer of entertainment to the whole show.
Those of you that come to my shows regularly knows that this is going to be a tough contest, and whoever wins it will have EARNED it. I’ve prided myself on building the best karaoke show I can possibly build, and now I am giving you the same promise of effort for this contest. My hope is to gain more and more exposure as it goes on throughout the year, and give this community some high quality competition and entertainment.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN!